The Social Life of Dreams

The Social Life of Dreams explores how dreams, remembered upon awakening, are turned into social action in a European society. Supported by ethnographic research of modern Iceland and examples from the historical literature, the book argues that the social meaning ascribed to the Icelandic dream has been a continuous part of Icelandic everyday life for a thousand years, and is still being adapted today.

Adriënne Heijnen holds a PhD degree in Anthropology from Aarhus University, Denmark. For over a decade, she has conducted anthropological research in Iceland and the wider North Atlantic area.